Publicly and privately administered parking programs continually struggle with the seemingly intractable problem of providing parking services for an area having a limited number of parking spaces to an ever increasing number of vehicles. To combat this struggle, there is an increasing effort to manage parking in residential and business communities. That is, cities, towns, universities and large corporations are attempting to set up parking programs that provide local residents, students and employees with a place to park. This effort generally involves the use of permit-based parking programs but the challenges faced when implementing these systems are great.
For background, most permit-based parking programs restrict parking privileges in an attempt to assure residents that they are able to find a place to park. The goal of such programs is to encourage persons to obtain a permit for parking privileges, or, alternatively, move non-permit holder vehicles, to metered, time-limited, or garage parking.
However, such programs are very difficult and expensive to implement and manage. Inefficiencies in the administration of these parking programs and a lack of enforcement of the regulations are rampant problems facing today's parking programs, leading to a significant dilution in the intended benefits.
For example, a municipality that institutes a permit-based parking program may face the task of issuing from 20,000 to 500,000 permits per year, which requires a complete overhaul of the municipality's existing parking regulation enforcement plan. Also, enforcement in areas designated for parking by permit-only is difficult since parking enforcement officers need to locate and validate every parking permit they encounter. This is especially difficult and sometimes even dangerous if the parking permits are for parking overnight.
Another problem encountered is that permit-based parking programs inherently require a paper intensive application and validation process. Often times, the applicant is required to prove that they are the owner of the vehicle they are requesting the parking permit for, and that they live or work in the parking zone in which they would like to park. In addition, there may also be other requirements that the applicant must adhere to such ensuring that there are no other outstanding obligations to the municipality or university.
The conventional verification process generally requires an applicant to prove, in person, the information needed for issuing the permit since scanned, faxed, or emailed documents can be easily forged. This wastes a considerable amount of time for both the permit holder and the issuing agency.
Anther problem is that while the issuance of permits assists in the institution of parking regulations, use of conventional permits includes many disadvantages. For example, a conventional parking system may designate a parking zone within the parking system with a unique parking permit design and color. These designs and colors may change from month to month, or year to year depending on the permit expiration dates. The reason these permits are different in each zone is to make it easier for the parking enforcement officers to determine the parking eligibility of the vehicle. However, managing the inventory of physical permits for each different color and design scheme presents additional challenges and costs.
Also since conventional permits are typically embodied as a sticker that either affixes to a window of the vehicle or a hang-tag that hangs within the vehicle (e.g., from the rear view mirror), it is often difficult to determine if a permit is present based on a visual inspection of the vehicle, due to a variety of factors including the presence of tinted windows and/or the arrangement of the vehicle (e.g., angled parking). This creates a significant burden on the individual responsible for inspecting vehicle to determine if the vehicle is legally parked who must locate and read the permit via a visual inspection of the vehicle.
In addition, conventional permits are frequently stolen or “scalped” (i.e., sold by the authorized permit holder to an unauthorized person). With no efficient means to track the permits administered under a parking program, such misuse is extremely difficult to detect and terminate. Additionally, even properly issued permits may be misused and sometimes the parking permits themselves are often forged in an effort to trick parking enforcement officers and get free parking.
Finally, while some municipalities and most universities charge a fee parking permits, others distribute parking permits at no cost to the applicants. When these entities try in increase the cost of the permits or initiate a cost for parking permits, this is often met by resistance by the public. This resistance is generally due the fact that information about how and why parking permit programs are necessary and the results thereof are not shared in a digestible format to the public, or not shared at all. This leaves the public to believe that parking permits may have little or no monetary value because the entity has no way to prove the value of the parking permit program it administers.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a method and system to streamline the permits application, validation, and registration process, eliminate the need for physical permits, make enforcement of parking permit violation more efficient, and provide a way where information about the parking permit program is shared amongst the program administrator and general public.
Furthermore, there is a need for a motorist to be able apply and have their information validated quickly without the need to apply in person.
Further, there is a need for the parking permit administrators to have way to distribute parking permits that will eliminate the need to manage an inventory of physical permits and virtually eliminate the possibility of permit fraud.
Further, there is a need for parking enforcement to be quicker, more efficient, and safe.